Why Did The Bebeh Deer Cross The Road?

“My husband and his friend pulled over when they saw a faun on the opposite side of a busy road in Alberta, separated from its mother. Mom had just crossed and baby deer was just standing on the roadside, too frightened. The big softies save the day!” -Jennifer M.

That’s great! We lose so many does, fawns, and yearlings this time of year here in Texas. They’ve gotten strong enough to travel and graze but don’t understand what the weird zooming things with the bright shiny eyes are until it’s too late. 😦

Just when you think there are no kind men out there along comes these guys! So sweet to rescue that darling fawn; much longer and I’m afraid it would have met with a much crueler fate. Thanks to some great guys for taking time to be kind.

@jlamusings: That men of CO calendar may need to be a page a day… I agree that these fellows have earned a place in it!

We had a mom and twin fawns get separated near our old house. One of the babies made it across with mom, but the other one was racing around our yard making the most pitiful noises. Luckily the speed limit on our road was only 25 mph, so we just kept an eye out for any cars coming until the lost little one figured out that he/she needed to cross the hard black stuff.

According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, a fawn will not be abandoned even though it has been touched by humans: “The doe-fawn bond is very strong. A mother deer will not avoid her fawn if there are human or pet odors on it. Fawns are rarely abandoned, except in extreme cases where the fawn has defects which will prevent its survival.”

@Püppi, I’ve heard the same thing about birds, and it’s not true for them either (most birds have no sense of smell to speak of.) I think it’s just a shorthand way of convincing well-meaning people — especially kids — to leave baby animals the heck alone.